“Get out of your head. It’s a bad neighborhood!” That statement rang so true to me when my yoga teacher proclaimed it at the start of a recent class. My head/brain does some awesome things for me. Keeping me fully present is not one of them.
Over the years I’ve realized that everything I used to think about mindfulness is wrong. Mindfulness is about being present and aware of what is happening in each moment. It is not about controlling what goes on in my head. In fact, being mindful works much better when I fully experience what’s going on through my body rather than analyzing it with my brain.
By simply taking in the information that comes from my five senses, I am more inclined to be present in what is happening in the moment. My mind, on the other hand, takes objective data, interprets it and weaves a totally irrelevant story around it. It’s doing too much.
THE HIGH ACHIEVER MIND TRICK
It occurs to me that a lot of us high achievers struggle with mindfulness because of the process we undergo to become successful. We train ourselves to ignore our bodies in order to get stuff done.
We downplay fatigue, hunger and the desire to urinate when those normal bodily indicators have the potential to disrupt studying for a test, finishing an experiment or performing a surgery. Eventually our minds go from ignoring our bodies to constructing full-on myths about what we are feeling.
Fatigue and hunger are now indications of weakness rather than simple signals from your body to rest and refuel. Being able to hold your bladder is a sign of strength rather than a clear set-up for a UTI. This mindset is typical of and detrimental to many folks with advanced degrees.
SENSUALLY ALTRUISTIC
There are also very altruistic people who perceive intentional body awareness as the gateway to becoming selfish and inconsiderate. My recommendation is not to yield to every carnal impulse you have. I simply suggest it is beneficial to notice what you feel in your body in order to stay connected to your present circumstances.
From personal experience I know it’s quite challenging for a religious and altruistic high achiever to get out of her own head and just be present. I’ve had to learn to experience my body’s perceptions without judging myself or worrying how others will judge me.
Sometimes these sensations are lovely and we are so in our heads that we don’t fully appreciate them in the moment. Other times, we fail to recognize how much they suck so we don’t make the changes necessary to avoid them in the future. Either way, overlooking our senses does us a disservice.
JUST BREATHE
The issue is how to recover from years of training one’s self to be brainy without being mindful. One simple strategy is just to breathe. This rather benign basic function gets you accustomed to noticing your body.
You have to breathe anyway so it’s not something to add to your daily routine. The added bonus for us control freaks is that, unless you have an underlying lung condition, you have complete control of your own breath at all times.
The new part is paying attention to the breath. Feel the breath enter and exist your nostrils and lungs without judgment.
If your brain feels left out, put it to work managing the rate of your breathing. If you must assess something, notice how easily the breath passes from your nose to the base of your lungs and back out again. The key is to stay present in the moment.
THE BODY SPIRIT CONNECTION
A side benefit of being aware of my body is being more conscious and intentional about treating it well. As a natural consequence of my body being well, I am better able to stay tuned in to my spirit.
The tired, hungry version of me is less likely to listen to the still, small inner voice guiding me to my greatest good. Trust me. I’ve tried and failed to work that scenario.
As we enter this new season, I invite you to join me in the quest to build lives that bring enthusiasm about being fully present in every instant. It can start with your next breath.
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Dr Jattu Senesie is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, certified success coach, physician satisfaction specialist and speaker. She blogs about issues of self care and well-being in an effort to help her fellow altruistic high achievers find satisfaction in their success as early in their careers as possible.
